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tinkerbell84
New member
Username: tinkerbell84
Post Number: 7
Registered: 9-2007
Posted From: 88.134.236.112
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 3:31 pm: | 
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I can't help but wonder if some of us were screwed with the marks we received in certain courses or projects because the teacher perhaps just didn't like us or our attitudes.
I was an A student in English and remember the shock I had when I wrote a composition and got a really bad mark. It was as well written as anything I had done before but the subject I wrote about was not "approved of" by the staff and I was later told it was "negative". Basically I was just given a low mark because they didn't like what I was writing about.
Another example was in Grade 13 calculus with a certain teacher who I was terrified of - I was having a really hard time and ended up having some tutoring before the final exams. For the 1st time in my life I really studied my brains out and spent weeks hunched over my math book. I failed the exam and never really could believe that. I didn't expect a great mark but I certainly expected something in the 60s.
Of course, we never got to see our exam papers after they were marked so it is possible I really did fail ... but there were some other minor situations too ...
... I just can't help wonder if some of the teachers might not have been quite honest or objective in marking some papers and were might have been influenced by their dislike of certain pupils?
I could be all wrong on this but did anyone else notice any oddities with regards to certain teachers and their marks?
After all, they tried to humiliate us in so many other ways. Were they suddenly honest and correct when it came to the actual academics? |
tabby1979
Member
Username: tabby1979
Post Number: 58
Registered: 8-2007
Posted From: 207.216.241.43
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 3:58 pm: |
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Hi Tinkerbell - I too have thought about the academic vs. the emotional and spiritual side of our schooling. I was not the brightest star in my class, but overall, I was probably average, but my grades at the end of it all were not that good, but managed to pass. I was told I was suited more for a college level than University. A few years later, I entered University as a mature student and was averaging about a B in Criminology...marks that were alot better than my high school marks. So I always wondered....... |
tabby1979
Member
Username: tabby1979
Post Number: 59
Registered: 8-2007
Posted From: 207.216.241.43
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 4:02 pm: |
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Hi Tinkerbell - I too have thought about the academic vs. the emotional and spiritual side of our schooling. I was not the brightest star in my class, but overall, I was probably average, but my grades at the end of it all were not that good, but managed to pass. I was told I was suited more for a college level than University. A few years later, I entered University as a mature student and was averaging about a B in Criminology...marks that were alot better than my high school marks. So I always wondered....... |
vancouver
New member
Username: vancouver
Post Number: 14
Registered: 9-2007
Posted From: 216.113.168.128
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 4:10 pm: |
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I think I had the opposite experience, Tink - I was so messed up by the time the last semester rolled around, that at one point I turned in a geography test with just "I can't do this" written on it... My teacher, a very kind and patient woman, let me retake the test and I passed it okay. However, by the time the final exams rolled around, I was a zombie. I don't remember a single thing, except for my Creative Writing test, ironically enough, about the "banality of evil". I still passed all my exams. I think it was because I was trying so hard to be a "Grenville" Christian that I got some slack. If I was just a gay kid turfed to them who was trying to survive and get away, it may have turned out differently. |
hoperules
Junior Member
Username: hoperules
Post Number: 46
Registered: 7-2007
Posted From: 74.98.217.186
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 4:11 pm: |
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tinkerbell84 - I can't answer in regards to what was fair or not fair grading with GCC's academics. Although, I worked my ••• off and spent most weekends in study hall, I never seemed to exceed a C.
What I can contribute to your posting is that I understand what you mean about things needing to "approved of." I loved art class, I was horrible with the art history portion, but again worked my ••• off to get the highest test marks possible. As, this is what I thought I had wanted to do with my life in some aspect or another.
I remember having to sculpt your own hand out of clay, "apparently" however you wanted it posed. One student portrayed his as aggressively grasping (the air) and was later put on D because it demonstrated his rebellion and anger. My hand was dead and lifeless - I got a good mark. After that, I pulled what "happy" pictures I could from “approved” magazines such as National Geographic and painted those. I also remember sculpting the bust of a girl I didn’t like. I was told it was more like a caricature, yet got a great mark for it. I totally over accentuated her not so pretty features. It was rewarding. It’s probably sitting in my parents garage somewhere.
Sad enough, after finishing highschool I went to tour the Ontario College of Arts. I know that no one I toured with knew from Adam, but I never felt so humiliated and angry. I truly felt I had no right to be there and I'd been robbed of any creativity I might have had. I was simply creatively stunted. |
tinkerbell84
New member
Username: tinkerbell84
Post Number: 8
Registered: 9-2007
Posted From: 88.134.236.112
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 4:14 pm: |
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Hi Tabby,
I can't really complain and got through things quite well - apart from that horrid calculus. I just have a hard time believing that with such a corrupt system that nothing ran into the academic part of it too.
I had some wonderful and caring teachers but also a few that were real monsters  . |
papillon
Junior Member
Username: papillon
Post Number: 35
Registered: 7-2007
Posted From: 152.31.96.2
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 4:15 pm: |
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-- I could be all wrong on this but did anyone else notice any oddities with regards to certain teachers and their marks? --
Yes, my sister did. She worked very hard to be accepted and succeed at GCC considering my experience and then that of my brother, who was always "on D". Well apparently she performed a little too well ... and that caused her some trouble. She was told not to exceed the performance of other, more "preferred", students. She was in the running for valedictorian and was told to quit working so hard as that spot was not meant for her.
GCC wasn't really a school in the normal sense. The purpose of a real school is to educate kids and help them learn and gain a lifelong love of learning (academics, athletics and the arts). It is not to pigeonhole and categorize people based on ideologies and personal prejudices, but to help people reach their innate potential.
I was always an A-B student ... through college ... except for GCC. Left GCC and graduated from a private Catholic school with a 94 average my senior year even after having been homeless for almost two years and missing over a year of work.
GCC wasn't really about academic education so much as about control ... and no matter what the GCC apologists assert ... I went to 13 different schools before graduating from Grade 12 and none of them was like GCC.
(Message edited by papillon on September 06, 2007) |
gayatgcc
Member
Username: gayatgcc
Post Number: 74
Registered: 7-2007
Posted From: 76.66.37.221
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 4:41 pm: |
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100% Agree!
I was known for my musical abilities and continually struggled with my grades in every music program I enrolled in while at GCC ...
Before GCC discovered I was queer I was invovled in a bit of a scandal with a staff kid (a girl) and as a result of this scandal she was forced to leave the school. Her family was invovled in the music department and they made my life hell! ... HELL!
Poor grades, verbal abuse, and in fact I was physically restrained and 2 fellow students had to run for help as they thought this male staff member was going to kill me. Later (before I had a chance) he called home and apologized to my parents ... and of COURSE did not share the entire truth. Sadly (in typical fashion), my version of the events were not believed.
Bottom line ... teachers passed/failed whoever/whenever! |
purgatory
Junior Member
Username: purgatory
Post Number: 32
Registered: 8-2007
Posted From: 67.71.120.15
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 4:42 pm: |
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Hej Tinkerbell, I posted a while ago touching on this subject, and maybe it connects somehow to what you are talking about. I remeber doing fairly well in academics(mind you I always was studying-that was my salvation).However; one speech I did problems Jews have living in a Christian Society caused quite abit of uproar.It seemed the teachers in charge of judging could not separate academics from religion nor could they separate a well writeen/well presented speech from their view I was being haughty, & self righteous, and I was told if I wanted to go onto the finals I "needed" to omit certain things as it gave Christianity a bad wrap.I never did change my speech, and never did go on to the finals. To this day I wish I had omitted what they wanted me to, and then I would have gone to the fianls. Then I could have put it back in, and the whole auditorium would have heard the ugly side of Christianity-or shall I say what evils are done in the name of Christianity.That surely would have got me on "D".I am glad though I didnot do as they wanted me too, although I was considered haughty..... |
tinkerbell84
New member
Username: tinkerbell84
Post Number: 9
Registered: 9-2007
Posted From: 88.134.236.112
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 4:57 pm: |
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Oh gosh, purgatory - you have me laughing. I had a similar experience with a speech in English class. It was concerning the weakness of the Canadian government and military and their over-dependence on the Americans to protect them. I mentioned something to the effect that Canadians were the fleas on the back of the American dog and if anything bad happened (war wise) we would just be brushed off and left to fend for ourselves without our own military. Well, a third of the class, plus the teacher were American and I tell you ooooohhh I felt the scorn and the eyes burning into me. Luckily, the Canadian majority applauded and thought it was very good and I never had to have a discussion with the "elders" ... that time. |
tinkerbell84
New member
Username: tinkerbell84
Post Number: 10
Registered: 9-2007
Posted From: 88.134.236.112
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2007 - 5:21 pm: |
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gayatgcc - I'm so sorry to hear your tale. I was lucky to sneak through without too much trouble but during my time there were a few that had it much harder and were constantly harassed in one way or another.
I don't think the staff could manipulate marks very much in courses and tests with definite answers - Math, physics etc. - and we got our papers back from normal tests - but when you got into arts, music and creativity it was a very different story. You can't just look up the correct answers and I'm sure they knew that and took advantage of it. Freedom of speech, freedom of thought etc. - That didn't exist! |
spain
Junior Member
Username: spain
Post Number: 28
Registered: 5-2006
Posted From: 69.204.218.39
| | Posted on Friday, September 07, 2007 - 12:46 am: |
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my take on all this is that Charles held no power over regular academics. But, he could exert some power over the arts - music/painting, etc. He, himself, was terrified of "self-expression", so tried to squelch all the arts. Another of his control techniques. Charles couldn't say anything about math/geography/English/history exams, but he could say that the music didn't sound right , or that the art the students were making was "evil". I remember the teachers of those subjects being VERY aware of not letting their students produce anything Charles might object to. |
wagener84
Member
Username: wagener84
Post Number: 74
Registered: 8-2007
Posted From: 68.151.117.98
| | Posted on Friday, September 07, 2007 - 1:30 am: |
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I remember on year, suddenly Malcolm Gillis was no longer music director and no longer performed on the organ, etc. I am assuming that this was not his choice? |
flacknyc
New member
Username: flacknyc
Post Number: 5
Registered: 8-2007
Posted From: 66.65.65.32
| | Posted on Friday, September 07, 2007 - 8:53 pm: |
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purgatory,
i had a similar experience when i wrote a speech about the richness and diversity of caribbean culture (i came from the islands). i was suddenly told that i was haughty, arrogant and needed to realise that my country of origin was quite backward. even though i speak letter perfect english with a slight british accent, i was constantly criticized for not being articulate because i was black and from a third world country. they kept trying to convince me i spoke black english, mispronouncing words like "ask," something that was news to me because i wasn't even african american. my persistence with my speech drove them bonkers and i too never made it to the finals. |
flacknyc
New member
Username: flacknyc
Post Number: 6
Registered: 8-2007
Posted From: 66.65.65.32
| | Posted on Friday, September 07, 2007 - 9:02 pm: |
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purgatory,
i had a similar experience when i wrote a speech about the richness and diversity of caribbean culture (i came from the islands). i was suddenly told that i was haughty, arrogant and needed to realise that my country of origin was quite backward. even though i speak letter perfect english with a slight british accent, i was constantly criticized for not being articulate because i was black and from a third world country. they kept trying to convince me i spoke black english, mispronouncing words like "ask," something that was news to me because i wasn't even african american. my persistence with my speech drove them bonkers and i too never made it to the finals. |
staff_kid_survivor
New member
Username: staff_kid_survivor
Post Number: 12
Registered: 8-2007
Posted From: 64.230.92.235
| | Posted on Friday, September 07, 2007 - 9:23 pm: |
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Re: Mr. Gillis - I can assure you that it was not his choice to be removed from music directing and organ playing. He was "demoted" as a result of the authorities deeming his children to be sinners. I will not go into details...but it was a regular occurance for staff to lose their jobs as a method of intimidation and control. |
wagener84
Member
Username: wagener84
Post Number: 76
Registered: 8-2007
Posted From: 68.151.117.98
| | Posted on Saturday, September 08, 2007 - 1:51 am: |
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I kind of figured that was the case. What a horrible and pathetic thing to do to such an honourable man!! Mr. Gillis was one of my favourite staff members because he didn't play head games. I hope he is doing okay during this turbulent time. |
purgatory
Junior Member
Username: purgatory
Post Number: 40
Registered: 8-2007
Posted From: 67.71.120.15
| | Posted on Saturday, September 08, 2007 - 11:11 am: |
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That is just pathetic-I too had great respect for him-mind you he was a tough cookie when it came to teaching, but he pushed me to be my best, and I think he was always honest, and just. I adored his wife and as I said before to Dan she represented class and dignity. Something alot of the other women could have learned from. |
brendabrown
New member
Username: brendabrown
Post Number: 15
Registered: 8-2007
Posted From: 72.45.9.230
| | Posted on Saturday, September 08, 2007 - 11:46 am: |
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I'm sure that who ever took over the music at GCC was wonderful. (GCC had a way of bringing out the best in everyone, musically speaking - because of Mr. Gillis) But damn! Mr. Gillis????? Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face! "He was "demoted" as a result of the authorities deeming his children to be sinners." What kind of mentality is this? Where are the adults???? News flash - We're ALL sinners!! What about loving someone through the hard times?? Were his kids burning down buildings? Beating the crap out of others? What??? Dan, Garth, Beth and Robbie. Yeah, there's a violent crew! Snap into reality people! Grrrrrr. ••••! |